Space Station Designer News

We’re excited to unveil the new main art for Space Station Designer!

This fresh visual represents the heart of space engineering and exploration, capturing the essence of building and managing your network of space stations.

To celebrate, we’re offering the artwork as a downloadable wallpaper, perfect for adding a touch of space to your desktop. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue expanding the universe of Space Station Designer!

Download the wallpaper now and give your desktop a cosmic upgrade

[Link to download here]

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Welcome to the third Dev Diary entry of 'Space Station Designer'. In the previous two entries, we gave an overview of the game and its modes. This entry will be the first of a multi-part series that will cover the mechanics found throughout the initial stages of the game (a.k.a, 'Phase I').

[h3]The Orbital Outpost Screen[/h3]

As we mentioned in our first dev diary entry, the game starts with the selection of a partner government and a Core Module variant. After the module is deployed to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), the game transitions to the 'Orbital Outpost' screen, which includes a series of buttons and controls.



[h3]The Time Controls[/h3]

The upper-center area of the screen features a series of time controls. 'Space Station Designer' is a realtime game, but we understand that at times there can be too many things going on, and players may want to be able to catch their breaths by slowing down or even pausing the timer. Similarly, albeit rarely, there can sometimes be instances when not much is going on and players may want to speed up time or directly skip to the end of the month. The game starts in 1998 and, based on our playtesting experience, it can extend well beyond the 2040s!

[h3]Station Stats[/h3]

In the left-hand side of the screen there's a stats panel. This panel is folded by default, and provides a quick overview of the station's stats.



From top to bottom, these are:

• Cooling & Electricity.
  
• Mass, 'orbit control' score, and 'attitude control' score.
  
• Crew slots.
  
• Storage space used and provided.
  
• Altitude and altitude rate.
  
• Supplies and raw materials in stock.
  
• Waste units in storage.
  
• Maintenance level and trend.
  

The stats panel can be expanded by clicking the button located at the top, which reveals extra information for all fields.



The Core Module is self-sustainable, in the sense that it generates enough electricity and has enough heat dissipation capabilities to function properly without additional support. Moreover, it has a relatively low mass, and enough propulsion capabilities for maintaining good 'orbit' and 'attitude' control.

[h3]Acquiring Modules[/h3]

Obviously, a productive station needs more to provide more functionality than the one provided by the Core Module. New modules can be acquired via the 'slots' located in the bottom-right corner of the screen.



Clicking on any of these slots reveals the 'Modules Acquisition' screen:



While initially there are only a handful of modules available (further modules types become available by acquiring new research technologies from the tech tree), the amount of options can become quite large in the late stages of the game. To help with this, this screen provides a series of radio and toggle buttons to help with sorting and filtering, respectively.

After clicking the 'Shopping cart' button in one of the modules, the game presents a series of contractors that can build and deliver this module. Contractors come in three "flavours", and they all follow the well-known iron triangle of service: "good, fast, cheap… pick two!". We're currently working on some ideas on how to make the decision on which contractor to choose much more nuanced.



After selecting a contractor, the module will be assigned to one of the available slots, which features a radial indicator that shows how far it is into the build process.



Once the module is ready, its outer border will become orange and it can be installed anytime.



[h3]Installing Modules[/h3]

When clicking on a completed module, the game will switch to the 'Installation' mode, which allows you to position the module by selecting the docking port it will be attached to:



After clicking the target docking port, the game will display a dialog with some key information. More specifically, how the installation of this new module is going to impact the main stats, including electricity, cooling, and propulsion scores.



Moreover, the dialog allows you to rotate the module. For example, in this case we're going to rotate this connector by 90 degrees:



Clicking the 'Check' button finalizes the installation process and returns the control back to the 'Orbital Outpost' screen.



[h3]Coming Up Next[/h3]

Installing modules is only one of the many things that you'll be able to do in 'Space Station Designer'. In the next entry, we'll cover topics such as the in-game currencies, how to conduct research, the concept of maintenance, and how to deal with module failures.

If you like what you're seeing, remember that we have an ongoing closed beta (more information here). Please consider applying if you want to help us shape the future of the game.

--Ignacio, Mauricio, and Nicolas (Polar Motion)

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Welcome to the second Dev Diary entry of 'Space Station Designer'. In the previous entry, we gave an overview of the game and covered the 'Campaign' mode. In this article, we'll cover the rest of the game modes, including modding support.

[h3]The 'Sandbox' and 'Free Builder' Game Modes[/h3]
As we mentioned in our previous diary entry, the game features a 'Campaign', a 'Sandbox', and a 'Free Builder' mode. The 'Sandbox' mode is very similar to the 'Campaign'. The main difference is that the 'Sandbox' mode doesn't feature any 'Campaign Objectives'. Instead, it provides a set of 20+ contracts uniquely tailored for the mechanics available in 'Phase I'. This game mode is ideal for players who have already mastered the basics of the game and prefer an experience with the same mechanics available in the 'Campaign' mode and the freedom to accept the contracts they are interested in.



Lastly, the 'Free Builder' is completely unrelated to the first two. This mode provides a blank canvas for you to assemble a station using an unlimited number and variety of modules. The game starts with a single Core Module orbiting around the Earth.



The slots located in the lower part of the screen can be freely filled with all modules available throughout the game, including those that belong to Phases II and III.



The game even allows you to select resupply spacecraft, so that you can also include them as part of your designs.



Unlike the other two game modes, in the 'Free Builder' mode there is no goal. Think of it as playing with LEGOs and putting things together in whichever way you want. The game provides a stats bar on the left-hand side of the screen so that you can see some basic information about your design but, other than that, you're free to explore and try out new ideas, such as massive stations like the one below. This station in particular could benefit from some adjustments to its 'orbit' and 'attitude' control…



[h3]Modding Support[/h3]
'Space Station Designer' ships with nearly 200 unique modules, which provide a wide range of options across a large number of categories such as 'Command & Control', 'Electricity', 'Cooling', and 'Commercial Services'. That being said, we understand that when it comes to space station modules, there's room for a nearly infinite amount of ideas, including the addition of historical modules/resupply spacecraft. To address this need, the game already includes modding support. You can find more information here, including our official modding guide.





[h3]Conclusion[/h3]
The last two entries provided an introduction to 'Space Station Designer'. Stay tuned for upcoming entries, where we'll be covering the details of some of the mechanics available in Phase I.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact us via the Steam forums if you have any feedback or questions. And, if you're interested in giving us early feedback, consider signing up for the closed beta here.

--Ignacio, Mauricio, and Nicolas (Polar Motion)

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Welcome to the first Dev Diary entry of 'Space Station Designer'. In this article, we'll provide an overview of the game and discuss some of the details behind the 'Campaign' mode. Whether you've just found out about 'Space Station Designer' or you have been following its development for a while, this post, and the upcoming part II, are a perfect entry point to learn more about the game.

[h3]What is Space Station Designer?[/h3]

'Space Station Designer' is a construction and management game for PC where you are in charge of leading a private space company that works closely with one of four partner governments. Your job is to set up a network of space stations in Earth and Lunar orbits, with the ultimate goal of assembling and operating an ambitious megaproject: the 'Lunar Space Elevator'.

'Space Station Designer' follows the footsteps of our previous strategy game 'Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager' (BASPM), also published by Slitherine. For this new game, we decided to move slightly away from the historical angle that made BASPM so successful, and create something that starts around the turn of the millennium and extends into the near future. While some of the elements found in the game don't exist yet, the overall setting of the game is closer to the realm of possibility than it is to science fiction, and we strongly believe this makes 'Space Station Designer' unique.

Our main sources of inspiration for the game were the visions for a permanent human presence in Earth orbit, including NASA's Space Station Freedom, which ultimately became the International Space Station (ISS). We'll go into details regarding our inspirations, which includes technical books and computer games from the 1980s and 1990s, in a future diary entry.





[h3]The 'Campaign' Game Mode[/h3]

'Space Station Designer' features three game modes: 'Campaign', 'Sandbox', and 'Free Builder', and all of them include modding support (more on this later). The 'Campaign' mode starts with the selection of a Partner Government and a Core Module for the first station, which is located in Low Earth Orbit or 'LEO'.





As shown in the screenshots above, all Partner Governments and Core Module variants provide a series of bonuses and special attributes. Once the initial selections have been made, the Core Module is launched and deployed to LEO:





Which marks the proper start of the 'Campaign':



As you can see from the screenshot above, there are quite a lot of options on this screen. We'll be covering the details behind them in subsequent entries but, for now, here's a non-comprehensive list of activities that you'll be able to perform while playing 'Space Station Designer':

• Purchasing and installing a wide range of modules.
  
• Keeping the station operational by balancing a diverse range of stats, such as electricity, cooling, orbit and attitude control, overall maintenance, etc.
  
• Hiring and managing astronauts.
  
• Launching crewed and uncrewed resupply spacecraft to the station, dispatching them back to Earth, and even transferring them to stations in other orbits.
  
• Unlocking research technologies from a vast tech tree, which includes over 60 unique technologies.
  
• Installing manufacturing modules and setting up production lines that create valuable commercial goods, which can be sold in a dynamic commercial market.
  
• Opening stations in higher orbits and even around the Moon, and making them all interact and work in sync as part of a large network.
  
• Acquiring Industrial R&D technologies from a second tech tree featuring over 20 entries, which can be commercialized to external entities.
  
• Leasing modules, providing commercial services, and even hosting space tourists.
  
• Accepting and fulfilling a series of 60+ unique contracts, which provides supplementary revenue to keep the network of stations operational.
  

As developers, we understand that this can be a lot to learn at once. To address this, the 'Campaign' mode has been carefully crafted to gradually introduce some of these mechanics by completing nearly 70 campaign objectives, which can be accessed via the 'Campaign Objectives' button located in the top-left corner of the screen.





Completing the 'Campaign Objectives' takes approximately 8 hours, with the last objective being the acquisition of the 'Expansion in LEO' research technology.



Acquiring this research technology opens 'Phase II', which brings a whole new set of mechanics. Unlike 'Phase I', in 'Phase II' there are no fixed objectives. The game switches to a 'Contracts system', where you'll get the chance to discover and master a new set of mechanics and systems.

In addition to 'Phase II', there's also a 'Phase III'. This phase starts with the acquisition of the 'Expansion Beyond LEO' research technology, and culminates with the construction and operation of the 'Lunar Space Elevator' megaproject. All these mechanics are already implemented, and our internal playtesting has revealed that an expert player needs over 40 hours to complete the Campaign from start to finish. Clearly, setting up a 'Lunar Space Elevator' requires a heavy investment in supporting infrastructure.

[h3]Development Status[/h3]

At the time of writing, the game is in a very advanced state of development. We released a large update in mid-December followed by another one a week ago, which includes the 'Lunar Space Elevator' megaproject. If you're interested in trying out the game and helping us improve before its final release, you can sign up for the ongoing closed beta here.

[h3]Coming Up Next[/h3]

We believe 'Space Station Designer' will be appealing to both players who are into management games and those who have an interest in space exploration. A lot of care has gone into the design and development of the game, and we are confident you'll find it enjoyable.

The 'Campaign' mode is just one of the game modes available in Space Station Designer. In the next article, we'll give an overview of the remaining game modes, including modding support. Don't hesitate to contact us via the Steam forums if you have any feedback or questions about the game.

See you next time.

--Ignacio, Mauricio, and Nicolas (Polar Motion)

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Back in mid-December we published 'Space Station Designer' version 0.5.40. This update included what we refer to as 'Phase III', and included a whole new series of mechanics, such as being able to create stations in higher orbits, and even around the Moon.

After publishing the previous update, we've been hard at work implementing the last remaining large system in the game: the 'Lunar Space Elevator' megaproject. This megaproject is now available for playtesting as part of the newly released version 0.5.47. This is a major development milestone, as 'Space Station Designer' can now be technically played from start to finish.

Similar to previous updates, this new version also includes a series of Quality of Life (QoL) improvements, bug fixes, and new content. If you're interested in the full changelog, you can review our live document here.

[h3]The 'Lunar Space Elevator' Megaproject[/h3]

The 'Lunar Space Elevator' megaproject is the last large system in 'Space Station Designer' that ties all the elements of the game together into a meaningful ultimate goal. Without revealing too much, the megaproject can be accessed by unlocking the technology at the end of the tech tree.



Unlocking this technology enables a button in the orbital outpost screen that gives access to the management screen:



The megaproject comprises a series of milestones, which require a combination of payments in various currencies and astronauts assignments. These milestones range from installing a series of new modules to fulfilling specialized contracts.



We still have to tidy up some of the UI, but the implementation of the core mechanics is already in place, and we can confirm that all the milestones in the megaproject can be completed.

[h3]New content[/h3]

In addition to the 'Lunar Space Elevator' megaproject, we added some new content, such as the new 'Cargo Shuttle' resupply spacecraft. This is a non-crewed version of the existing 'Space Shuttle', modeled after the Shuttle C concept from NASA. We have also completely revamped the existing 'Industrial R&D' tech tree, which now features a series of relevant technologies, along with balanced acquisition costs and commercialization values.





[h3]Quality of Life (QoL) improvements[/h3]

Similar to previous updates, in version 0.5.47 we've added a number of Quality of Life improvements. This includes input binding/remapping, which has been a popular request from our beta testers, and a mechanism to unselect a large group of toggle buttons filters by using the right mouse button. We've also added a mechanism to quickly cycle through all the various stations using the 'next' and 'previous' mouse buttons (that can, of course, be remapped as well), which comes in handy during the late stages of the game.



Please note that the current input binding/remapping system (which is part of the 'Preferences' screen) is only a first implementation. In future updates, we'll polish the UI and include extra features, such as being able to adjust the sensitivity of the various axis.

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

One of the fun things about playtesting the late stages of the game is that we get the chance to stress some of its systems beyond their initial capabilities. As part of the current playthrough, some of our astronauts actually reached the retirement age. This made us realize that we weren't handling this scenario properly, and it has now been fixed.

Other issues we've addressed as part of version 0.5.47 include:

• Restricting players from transferring resupply spacecrafts to orbits beyond their range.
  
• Addressing a runtime exception when removing resupply spacecraft in the 'Free Builder' mode.
  
• A collision glitch in the solar panels of the 'Transporter' resupply spacecraft.
  
• The display of the cargo bay of the 'Chimera' and 'Starcarrier' resupply spacecraft.
  

We've also completely overhauled the handling of error scenarios, such as invalid or corrupted data files and save game files, which will provide a smoother gameplay experience.

[h3]Closing thoughts[/h3]

As mentioned in the introduction, 'Space Station Designer' can now be played from start to finish. However, we still have a lot of work ahead of us in order to take the game to the quality of level we want it to reach. In the next update, we'll be focussing on delivering solutions to some of the suggestions provided by our beta testers (you can sign up for the beta here).

As always, we'll be monitoring our Discord server and the forums, so don't hesitate to let us know if you have any feedback or comments.

We'll be publishing our first dev diary in the upcoming days, stay tuned!

--Ignacio, Mauricio, and Nicolas (Polar Motion)


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